PRIDE Grand Prix 2004: Critical Countdown

Intro

Jun 18, 2004

The road to retirement for Sakuraba begins, the heavyweight GP
tournament continues and the search for the top middleweight
contender ends.

Like the last chapter of a classic novel (you know what I mean --
Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” or J.K.
Rowling’s “Harry Potter” for some), the final bouts of an
incredible fighter’s career are bittersweet. Kazushi Sakuraba,
dubbed “The Gracie Hunter” by his adoring fans, begins his
“Retirement Road” on this card in a rematch with Antonio “Elvis”
Schembri. We’ll also see Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “The
Brazilian Tiger” Ricardo Arona battle for the No. 1 Contender’s
spot in the hotly contested middleweight division. Hidehiko Yoshida
battles the newest K-1 fighter to make the MMA crossover: Mark
Hunt. Oh, and the next round of that little tournament thing is
happening, too.